Impact detonator for shells or projectiles



G. P. OHLGART.

IMPACT DETONATOR FOR SHELLS OR PROJECTILES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

fn-mimm- UNS STTS GEORGE P. OHLGART,

OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMIACT DETONATOR FOB. SHELLS OR PROJEC'IILES.

n Specification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed February 28, 1920. Serial No. 362,033.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. OHLGART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impact Detonators for Shells or Projectiles, of which the following is a speci ication.

This invention relates to improvements in impact detonators for shells or projectiles.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved detonator whose firing device will be normally locked in a safety position: whose locking means will be moved to the release position only by centrifugal force created by rotation of the shell or projectile in flight and will become locked in the release position until im act.

A further object of t e invention is to provide an improved means for returning the detonator parts to a safety condition in case the shell or projectile fails to explode on impact.

With these, and other objects in view, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein,-

F 1 shows a longitudinal section through a fuse-body or stock with the improved detonator shown in side elevation therein.

Fig. 2 illustrates the detached detonator in top plan. i

Fig. 3 shows the same in longitudinal section to illustrate the parts in .the safety position,-the section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates the same but with the locking bolts held retracted to leave the parts free to operate'upon impact.

Fig. 5 shows another view of the same `parts, the latter however being illustrated in the firing position which they assume at the moment of impact, and

Fig. 6 illustrates anotherlongitudinal section through the detonator,-the section being taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, 7, designates a fuse body or stock of .conventional construction, having the usual exterior screw-threads 8, and an interior chamber 9. A plug 10, closes the inner end of the chamber 9, and this plug carries a primer cap 11', the flash from which may passthrough the passages l2, to a booster or main charge in the shell or projectile,

A detonator body 13, is located in the chamber 9, of the stock and completely fills the latter' so that no possible longitudinal movement of the detonatorE body can take place in said chamber. It is therefore to be understood that in no sense is the detonator body a plunger, or the equivalent of a plunger, because it has no movement independent of the stock and preferably is sufliciently tight in the chamber to prevent independent l rotation in said chamber.

The detonator body 13, has a chamber 14, at what may be termed its outer end, and is provided with a central passage 15,' which extends from said chamber 14, and opens at the inner end of the body. By preference I provide an annular groove or channel 16.

around the inner end of the detonator champassages 17, are located at vdiametrically opposite sides of the central passage, and extend from the central passage toward the circumference. Each passage 17, contains a locking bolt-18, and each bolt has an enlarged inner end and a reduced outer end 19. The reduced end of each bolt is encircled by a coiled spring 20, which latter isV confined in the passage, in this instance by means of a circular band 21, that extends entirely around the inner end of the detonatorbody. It is therefore to-be understood-that the springs 20, are normally under suflicient compression to press the bolts 18, toward the central passage 15, but will yield when the body is rotated and permit the bolts to be thrown radially and away from the central passage by the centrifugal force 'set up by the rotation of the shell. in Hight.

Cn the linterior of the detonator body I provide a. ring-pin structure which comprises acircular head22, that loosely fits the chamber 14, and which has'a central post 23, that projects into the central passage 15. The post carries a pin 24, whichextends into the central passage and normallyvhas position between the inner ends of the bolts, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing.

A shoulder 25, is .formedon the post 23 around the base of the firing pin and when the firing pin structure is in the normal safety position, this shoulder 25, is engaged by the -enlarged ends Vof theloeking bolts 18,-the bolts in thisvinstance projecting over the shoulder at diametrically opposite sides of the firing pin, so as Yto hold'the entire firing-pin structure against forward movement in the detonator body.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that when the shoulderY 25, is engaged by the locking bolts,tlie pin 2st, will be held within the central passage 1`5 A Y A spiral l.spring 2G, is located in the-detonator chamber 14, and has one end seated in the annular groove 16, and its other end encircling the post `23, and seated against the head 22. so yas to yieldingly press the head in a direction Aaway from the bolts and toward the outer end of the detonator chamber. y

A disk 27, is secured in the outer end of the detonator toform `'a stop for-the firing devicewhile 'the latter is in its normalV position.

One of the objects of *thisV invention is toV provide means for retaining the locking bolts in a retracted position afterfthey-have become retracted through centrifugall force caused by rotation of the Ashell in Hight. The advantage in this is that should the speed of rotation be materiali)7 rediued after the shell has been red and before Ait strikes, there is a liability of the locking bolts returning to their normally locked positions, and should this occur, when impact takesplacethe firing mechanism-cannot move forward to strike the primer and failure of the shell to explode would bethe result. To meet thispossible condition `'I provide means to engage the locking bolts and hold them spread apart which will now be described. Y

By reference to Figs. 2--3-.4- and G of the drawings, it will be noted that the inner end-of the detonator body is provided with two slots 28, which are parallel and extend, in-this instance, in a direction at right angles to the passages 17, in which the locking bolts are confined.A These slots are spacedand have positions at opposite sides of the central passagel. Fach slot contains 'a spring finger 29, the free yielding end of which'normally lies on top Vof the enlarged end of the'bolt, Vas shownin Figs. 3 and 6 of theV drawing. Y l l 'Beneath each spring finger 29, provide a loose plungery 30, which has a reduced end that projects into the detonator chamber 14, 'sothat when the head 22, of the firing i 'device moves forward it may strike said reduced end and thereby move the plundgers tion of the locking bolts the spring lingers 29, are shown. in this safety position the fingers simply rest upon the enlarged endsof-the locking bolts. VVhen the locking bolts are thrown back by centrifugal force to the'positions shown in Fig. 4, the spring fingers move down into the slots infront of the ends of the bolts land bar the return movement of those bolts even though rotation of the shell is completely stopped. l

lt willthus be seenY that afterthe bolts are retracted, 'they are locked in the retracted position by the spring fingers and the firing device will be free to plunge forward immediately upon the shell striking an object. This forward movement of the firing devices is illustrated in Fig. 5, of the drawing. By comparing this Fig.- 5, which shows the parts in Vfiring position,y with il, which shows the sameparts as armed but not 'yet havingmoved forward, it will be seen that notonly has the firing pin rstructure moved forward, but the locking bolts 18, have been released by the spring. fingers 29, which latter,at the'moment firing should take place, have moved from in front of thebolts: the boltsY have moved forward against opposite sides of the post 23, Land the spring fingers then press on the forward circumferential ends of the bolts. This change in the parts isdue to the fact that when the firingpin structure movesrforward the head 22, will strike the reduced `cnds of the plungers'BO, thereby pushing those plungers forward.V As the lplungers move forward-they engage the under sides of the spring fingers 29, and lift the ulatter from in front of the locking bolts. The locking bolts then move Vtoward vand Aseat against 'the' diametrically opposite Ysides of the post 23, so that if a failure-to explode occurs the firing-pin structure willlbe moved back `by spring 26, and the locking bolts will spring over the shoulder 25, Von the post and again lock the Ifiring-pin structure Vin the safetyposition.

From theV foregoing explanations it will be seen that the structure is so varranged as to Vnormally lock-the firingpinfin arsafety positiomthen when the shell ispfired will retract the bolts and lock those Vbolts in` a retracted position and .finally :incase of failure to explode, the bolts are-releasedand the pin returns to normal position where the-bolts again lock it in safety. y Y

Having described my invention, what I claim is,-

1. The combination with a fuse stock having a chamber, of an explosive element at one endrof said Vchambena detonator .body completely lilling 'the chamber and -having a chamber with a central passageand. a .plu-

rality of lateral passages which openinto ,the central passage, a firing devicerinthe detonator chamber and having a post that extends into the'central passage, a locking bolt 1n each lateral passage to engage and hold the post from movement in the central passage, a spring to normally press each bolt toward the central passage and a band around the detonator body and closing the outer ends of the lateral passages.

2. vThe combination with a fuse stock having a chamber, ol an explosive element at one end of said chamber; a detonator body filling said chamber and held against longitudinal movement in the latter said detonator body also having a chamber therein and further provided with a central passage and a plurality of lateral passages opening into the central passage; a firing device having an enlarged head in the detonator chamber, a post extending` from the head into the central passage and a pin projecting from the post and normally having position between the inner ends of the lateral passages; a locking bolt in each lateral passage to hold the firing device against forward movement and yielding means in the detonator chamber to normally press the enlarged head of the firing device in a direction away from the explosive element.

3. The combination with a fuse stock having a chamber, of an explosive element at one end of said chamber; a detonator body filling said chamber and held against longitudinal movementin the latter said detonator body also having a chamber therein and further provided with a central passage and a plurality of lateral passages opening into the central passage; a firing device having an enlarged head in the detonator chamber7 a post extending from the head into the central passage and a pin projecting vfrom the post and normally having position between the inner ends of the lateral passages; a locking bolt in each'lateral passage to hold the firing device against forward movement and means for engaging the locking bolts after they have moved laterally to release the firing device to hold said Y bolts in the release position.

4. In a firing device for projectiles the combination with a movable firing pin, of

' means for normally holding the firing pin against movement said means being operated by centrifugal force during rotation of the projectile in flight; means for locking the said holding means in the centrifugallyoperated position before the projectile strikes and means for releasing said locking means when the firing pin is moved to the firing position.

5. In a firing device for projectiles the combination With a movable firing pin, of means for normally holding the firing pin against movement said means being operated by centrifugal force during rotation of the projectile in flight; means for locking the said holding means in the eentrifugallyoperated position before the projectile strikes and means actuated bythe firing pin to move the locking means and allow the holding means to return and again lock the firing pin in a safety position upon failure of the projectile to explode.

6. In a ring device for projectiles the combination With a movable firing pin, of means for normally holding the firing pin against movement said means being operated by centrifugal force during rotation of the projectile in flight; means for locking the said holding means in the centrifugallyoperated position before the projectile strikes; means for returning the firing pin to the normal position upon failure of the explosion and means for restoring the holding means to again lock the firing pin in the safety condition.

7. In a firing device for projectiles the combination Witha movable firing pin, of means for normally holding the ring pin against movement said means being operated by centrifugal force during rotation of the projectile in flight; means for locking the said holding means in the centrifugallyoperated position before the projectile strikes; spring means for returning the firing pin to the normal position upon failure of explosion and to restore the locking and holding means to the normal position to again lock the firing pin in a safety condition.

In testimony whereof Iv affix my signature.

GEORGE P. OHLGART. 

